What better time to break out the hiking boots than the lazy, hazy days of summer—which may be why the Wall Street Journal has taken the opportunity to point adventurers in the direction of our nation's national parks. The Journal has pulled together what it views to be the best of the pack, using four main criteria: crowd size, campsite availability, hiking route quality, and accessibility to a bevy of other recreational activities, including fishing, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Michigan's Isle Royale National Park takes the No. 1 spot. "Accessible only by ferry, private boat, or seaplane, this is true wilderness: a land of moose and wolves and the drama forever playing out between them," the paper writes of its top pick. The other parks that round out the top 10, with their scores:
Best national parks
- Isle Royale National Park, Michigan (81.01)
- North Cascades National Park, Washington (78.89)
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California (70.79)
- Big Bend National Park, Texas (70.04)
- Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska (67.99)
- Lassen Volcanic National Park, California (67.01)
- Great Basin National Park, Nevada (66.98)
- Death Valley National Park; California, Nevada (64.47)
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas (63.59)
- Yellowstone National Park; Wyoming, Montana, Idaho (62.93)
See where other parks fall on the
Journal list. (These are the
least-visited national parks.)
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